Crow Wing County Jail

Search her name on Crow Wing County Inmate Search. You can also call 218-822-7050, since the county says staff can be reached at any hour. Ask for her booking number, the charge, and the bail amount.

The lobby is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., per the county page. To learn whether bail is taken there, and what happens on nights and weekends, ask on the jail line, 218-822-7050, what to do after 4:30 p.m. before driving over.

The jail is at 313 Laurel Street. The Sheriff's Office is at 304 Laurel Street, also in Brainerd. Go to 313 Laurel Street for the jail, and call before you arrive.

VINE is a free, anonymous service that works around the clock. You choose the state and the person, and you get a call, email, or text-phone message when custody status changes. It helps when you work during the day and cannot keep checking Crow Wing County Inmate Search.

The county's money page says cash bail can be paid at Court Administration, 213 Laurel Street, Suite 11, Brainerd, or at the kiosk in the jail lobby. Bail of up to $1,000 can also be paid online. Call 218-822-7050 and ask which way fits your case, whether exact change is needed, and if a bondsman's paperwork is handled at the lobby or elsewhere. Request a receipt with the case number.

A judge decides after reviewing the charge, evidence, family ties, work, money, record, and safety. No Crow Wing County bail schedule was found, and Minnesota has no statewide list. Bail is meant to be the lowest amount that gets the person back to court.

Within 36 hours after arrest if he stays in custody, not counting the day of arrest, Sundays, or holidays. On a misdemeanor, a late hearing means release on citation. A probable-cause finding is due within 48 hours, with weekends counted.

Yes, in many cases. The starting point under Rule 6.02 is release on a promise to appear or an unsecured bond. A judge may add conditions such as supervision, travel limits, or no contact. Some orders give a choice between a higher cash amount with no conditions and a lower one with conditions.

Yes. Cass County rented 40 beds here until it ended the contract effective May 31, 2024 and moved to the Itasca County Jail. If a Cass County inmate was held in Brainerd before then, records may mention Crow Wing. For a current Cass County arrest, ask that county's jail where the person is.

A licensed, court-approved agent charges the surety's filed rate, with a $100 minimum and no flat state percentage. At least 30 percent is due before posting on bonds over $10,000, and half on smaller ones, with the rest on a note. Agents cannot solicit inside the jail. Ask for every term in writing.

A judge may accept security other than cash, but we found no Crow Wing County rule on land and did not confirm whether property out of county counts. Ask court administration before you start. A numbered receipt is required for collateral, and a quitclaim deed does not qualify.

A local news report says the jail has housed federal immigration detainees. A federal hold is separate from Minnesota bail. Ask the jail desk, 218-822-7050, which agency placed the hold and where to direct questions.

The county has bought time at the East Central Regional Juvenile Center in Anoka County, reported at $295 per day beyond a guaranteed bed. A child's record is private, so the adult search will not list the child. Call 218-822-7050 to learn where a young person is held.

Say at the first hearing that you cannot afford a lawyer, or use the Online PD Application from the Minnesota courts. The court appoints; you cannot pick. We did not confirm a Crow Wing County office line, so call the jail to learn the court date.

The bond can be forfeited and a warrant issued. The court must notify an agent's surety within 30 days, and the agent may bring him in. A judge may forgive some of the penalty.

Cash bail is his property. When the case closes, the court pays him or a named person, less any fine or restitution.

No office frees someone for a gift card or an app payment. Hang up and call 218-822-7050.

Brainerd is the county seat of Crow Wing County, and the Judicial Center on Laurel Street downtown is where the county's criminal cases are heard. The Crow Wing County District Court is part of the Ninth Judicial District. The Crow Wing County Attorney prosecutes every felony and juvenile case, while misdemeanors from Brainerd, Baxter, Nisswa and the county's other cities are usually prosecuted by city attorneys. Adults who are held after arrest go to the Crow Wing County Jail, a few doors down Laurel Street, which the Sheriff operates.

• Crow Wing County District Court (Ninth Judicial District), 213 Laurel Street, Suite 11, Brainerd, MN 56401, (218) 824-1310
• Crow Wing County Attorney's Office, prosecutor for felonies, juvenile cases and township misdemeanors, Brainerd
• Ninth Judicial District Public Defender, Brainerd Office (State Board of Public Defense), appointed counsel for eligible Crow Wing County defendants; Crow Wing County clients can reach its Brainerd office at 11610 Andrew Street, Brainerd, MN 56401, (218) 828-6134
• Crow Wing County Jail (Sheriff's Office Jail Division), 313 Laurel Street, Brainerd, MN 56401, (218) 822-7050
• Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office, Brainerd, (218) 829-4749

Which court hears your case. Crow Wing County has one criminal trial court, the District Court in Brainerd, and Minnesota has no city courts to divide cases among. A petty misdemeanor from Crosslake, a misdemeanor theft at a Baxter store, a gross misdemeanor DWI on Highway 371 and a felony burglary from a lake cabin are all heard there. The level of the offense decides the prosecutor and the procedure. Misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors from inside a city are generally prosecuted by that city's attorney or another lawyer the city contracts with. Those from townships go to the Crow Wing County Attorney, which also prosecutes all felonies.

Where pretrial detainees are held. People arrested in Crow Wing County who are not released are held at the Crow Wing County Jail, 313 Laurel Street in Brainerd. The direct-supervision facility opened in 2007, is licensed for up to 276 adults and houses both pretrial and sentenced inmates. Staff answer around the clock at (218) 822-7050, and the lobby is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Detainees remain there until they post bail, are released on conditions, or the case concludes.

Crow Wing County's lake-country summers bring a heavy load of lower-level cases, which come in three grades. A petty misdemeanor is not a crime and is punished by a fine alone. Misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors are crimes that can lead to jail.

After the handcuffs

For many minor offenses, a citation is issued and the person goes home. Someone booked into the Laurel Street jail may be released by posting a bail amount from the court's schedule, or held to see a judge. A person who is held must go before a judge within 36 hours of arrest, not counting the day of arrest, Sundays and legal holidays. A judge must also determine probable cause within 48 hours whenever the arrest happened without a warrant.

Bail and conditions in Brainerd

The judge may release on recognizance or set bail. The usual practice is to name a larger amount with no conditions and a smaller amount with conditions attached, such as alcohol monitoring, no drinking or no contact with the alleged victim. Bail may be paid in cash or through a licensed bail bond company.

Hearings that follow

In Brainerd, misdemeanor defendants are first arraigned, while gross misdemeanor defendants start with a Rule 5 hearing. Next comes a pretrial conference, where most Crow Wing County cases are settled by agreement. Any Crow Wing County misdemeanor trial is heard by a unanimous jury of six. Under Rule 11.09, a defendant who demands a speedy trial must receive one within 60 days.

Asking for a public defender

If jail is possible and you cannot afford an attorney, ask for one at the first appearance. Eligible defendants are appointed a lawyer from the Ninth Judicial District Public Defender's Brainerd office.

Crow Wing County penalty ranges

• Petty misdemeanor in Brainerd: a fine no higher than $300, with no jail and no conviction for a crime.
• Misdemeanor in Crow Wing County: as long as 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000, for charges like theft of $500 or less, trespass and fifth-degree assault.
• Gross misdemeanor at the Brainerd Judicial Center: a top sentence of 364 days and $3,000, used for theft between $500 and $1,000 and for repeat fifth-degree assault.
• First DWI in Crow Wing County: ordinarily a fourth-degree misdemeanor. One aggravating factor, such as a test of 0.16 or above or a child under 16 in the vehicle, makes it a third-degree gross misdemeanor, and refusing a chemical test is charged at that same level. The state revokes the license in a separate administrative process; a chemical use assessment is required, and ignition interlock, plate impoundment and vehicle forfeiture can apply in aggravated cases.

Outcomes include dismissal, a continuance for dismissal, a stay of adjudication, fines, probation and jail. Most misdemeanor cases in Brainerd conclude within one to four months.

Felonies, crimes punishable by more than a year in prison, are prosecuted by the Crow Wing County Attorney on a written complaint. Only offenses carrying life imprisonment go to a grand jury.

Hearing sequence

A defendant held at the Crow Wing County Jail has a Rule 5 first appearance within 36 hours. The judge reviews the complaint, appoints the public defender if the defendant qualifies and sets bail and conditions. The Rule 8 hearing follows, where the defense receives the State's evidence and a plea may be entered. Then comes the omnibus hearing, at which the defense can argue that evidence was illegally obtained or that the complaint lacks probable cause. Most Crow Wing County felony cases are settled at a pretrial or settlement conference. A felony trial uses 12 jurors who must reach a unanimous verdict, and a speedy-trial demand means trial within 60 days.

Appointed counsel on felonies

The Ninth Judicial District Public Defender's Brainerd office represents qualifying felony defendants, generally from the first appearance until sentencing.

Felony penalties in Crow Wing County

• Felony theft in Crow Wing County: a 5-year cap once the value exceeds $1,000, 10 years past $5,000 and 20 years past $35,000.
• Burglary charged in Brainerd: a Crow Wing County judge may impose up to 5 years for third-degree, 10 for second-degree and 20 for first-degree burglary.
• First-degree drug sale in Crow Wing County: as much as 30 years in prison.
• Second-degree assault in the Ninth District: up to 7 years for an assault with a dangerous weapon, with a mandatory minimum term for a firearm.

A presentence investigation is completed before sentencing. The judge then consults the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines, where the offense severity level and the defendant's criminal history score together point to a presumptive stayed sentence on probation or a prison term. Moving away from that requires substantial and compelling reasons. With a stay of imposition, finishing probation leaves a misdemeanor rather than a felony conviction. A person sent to prison usually serves two-thirds of the sentence, then one-third under supervised release. Expect four to twelve months for a felony case here.

Violent felony cases in Crow Wing County travel the same path through the Brainerd Judicial Center, with high bail and strict conditions common and many defendants held on Laurel Street throughout. A first-degree murder prosecution requires a grand jury indictment.

Penalties for violent offenses in Crow Wing County

• First-degree murder: life imprisonment, which is life without parole for premeditated murder and certain other kinds and life with parole eligibility after 30 years for the rest.
• Second-degree murder in Brainerd: up to 40 years. Third-degree murder: up to 25.
• First-degree criminal sexual conduct in Crow Wing County: up to 30 years, and the guidelines presume 144 months for a Crow Wing County first offender.
• First-degree aggravated robbery at the Brainerd courthouse: up to 20 years.

There is no death penalty in Minnesota; it was abolished in 1911. Under Minnesota Statutes chapter 611A, victims are entitled to notice of hearings, to attend, and to give an impact statement at sentencing.

Defense and timeline

The Ninth Judicial District Public Defender represents eligible defendants. Because of forensic testing, expert witnesses and lengthy motion practice, these cases commonly take one to two years or longer.

Cases involving youth under 18 are heard in the juvenile division of Crow Wing County District Court in Brainerd. The County Attorney decides whether to file a delinquency petition, and many first offenses are diverted to a program that ends without formal charges.

State law lets the county jail hold a minor only for a short time, up to 24 hours outside the Twin Cities metro area. A youth who needs to be detained is usually placed at the East Central Regional Juvenile Center in Lino Lakes, (763) 324-4540, where Crow Wing County is a member county with a contracted bed, or at another licensed center when that bed is full, and a judge must hold a detention hearing within 36 hours of custody, weekends and holidays excluded. Eligible youth are represented by a public defender.

The juvenile system also has tools for serious cases. Youth aged 14 to 17 can be prosecuted as Extended Jurisdiction Juveniles, receiving juvenile supervision with an adult sentence stayed in the background. The County Attorney can ask the court to certify any youth 14 or older for adult prosecution; Minnesota presumes certification for 16- and 17-year-olds charged with a crime carrying presumptive prison or committed with a firearm. First-degree murder charges against 16- and 17-year-olds in Crow Wing County proceed in adult court. Most juvenile records are confidential, although certain felony records involving youth 16 and older may be public.

Some arrests in the Brainerd lakes area lead to charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota instead of the Judicial Center on Laurel Street. Within that federal district, Crow Wing County falls in the Fifth Division, whose courthouse is the Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 515 W. First Street, Duluth, MN 55802. Federal juries for Crow Wing County cases come from the Duluth division. Even so, a defendant's first hearings are often scheduled in Duluth, Minneapolis or St. Paul, depending on where agents make the arrest and which judges are available.

Why a case goes federal

Federal prosecution follows a violation of federal law, usually uncovered by the FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspectors or IRS agents. Around Brainerd and Baxter, common examples include:

• distribution of methamphetamine, fentanyl or other drugs, particularly in large amounts or brought in from other states;
• felon-in-possession and other gun charges;
• fraud schemes, including mail, wire and bank fraud;
• child exploitation offenses, bank robbery and immigration crimes.

Federal prosecutors may also adopt an arrest first made by the Crow Wing County Sheriff or Brainerd police, and both sovereigns are allowed to charge the same conduct.

Contacts

The government's lawyers work for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota: Minneapolis, 300 S. 4th Street, Suite 600, Minneapolis, MN 55415, (612) 664-5600; St. Paul, 316 N. Robert Street, Suite 404, St. Paul, MN 55101, (651) 848-1950. On the defense side, the Office of the Federal Defender is at 107 U.S. Courthouse, 300 S. 4th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415, (612) 664-5858; a conflict means the court assigns a private CJA panel attorney. For custody questions, the U.S. Marshals Service in Duluth answers at (218) 529-3620, and the Clerk of Court at (612) 664-5000.

From charge to sentence

The process opens with an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge, where counsel is appointed. A detention hearing typically follows within three court days if prosecutors want the person held. Release in federal court is governed by the Bail Reform Act and means conditions supervised by U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services; there are no bail bondsmen, and cash bail is rarely set. A grand jury indictment is due within 30 days of arrest on a complaint, followed by arraignment. The Speedy Trial Act calls for trial within 70 days, yet continuances are granted regularly, and most defendants accept plea agreements. A 12-member jury must be unanimous to convict. Sentencing, after a presentence report, lands about three months later and applies the advisory Sentencing Guidelines plus any mandatory minimum. With no parole, a prisoner serves at least about 85% of the sentence in the Bureau of Prisons before supervised release. Appeals are heard by the Eighth Circuit.

Pretrial federal detainees are not automatically kept at the Crow Wing County Jail; the Marshals place them in contract jails around Minnesota and sometimes out of state, so call the Duluth office to locate someone. After sentencing, the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator lists the assigned facility. Federal court rarely handles defendants younger than 18.